Victor Hopkins Could Take Lance

This past summer I bought a road bike. Although I received a bit of hazing from my mountain biking brethren, I thoroughly enjoyed biking this past summer. I even found a few "roadies" to co-mingle with.

One of my favorite aspects of road biking is that I don't have to drive anywhere to bike. Walk out the front door of my house and I'm gone. No trailhead parking, no stepping in dog crap left behind by another trail users, no hike-a-bike. Sure, road biking has it's list of unpleasantness. Gravel, motorists who drive the shoulder, etc. But to just hop on my bike and ride a 60 mile loop bringing me back to home sweet home is a major plus.

After pushing myself through a 125 mile solo ride that included 8K feet of climbing I thought I was pretty darn tough. After reading about Victor Hopkins I realize that I've got a long way to go....like 875 miles.


From the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame:

Victor Hopkins was one tough guy. Given up for adoption at the age of one, and his adoptive parents died when he was six he was placed in an orphanage, said his son who accepted the award for him. Hopkins, inducted into the Pre-1945 Competitor Category, peadled his single speed from Davenport, Iowa to Milwaukee'’s Washington Park for the 1924 Midwest Olympic Cycling Trials where he placed 2nd.

He then rode pack home and then another 1000 miles, many of which were over dirt roads, to compete in the National Olympic finals, which he won. This allowed Hopkins to compete in the Paris Olympics that year. Following the Olympics Hopkins competed in more than 70 events in the dangerous world of motorpace racing.

Brings a whole new meaning to the "door to door" ride capability of road cycling.

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